The problems going on right now on the missile testing by Iran and Israel exercises may lead up to and attack in the next month or two. Some intelligence reports have said that Iran could be able to make a nuclear bomb as soon as this December. The U.S. has sent special forces into Iran already to do some sort of covet mission. This was an interesting article on what could happen to oil prices.

http://money.cnn.com/2008/07/10/news/international/iran_oil/index.htm

If there is an airstrike, what Iran will do is unknown. One possible way to do this is to try to attack oil facilities in the region. Another is to try to cut the Straits of Hormuz. Either or both will raise oil prices a lot immediately.

One other way of doing this is to not those in the article were the possibility of trying to hit Israeli Nuclear Facilities using missiles with convential warheads. I'm not sure Israel would do about that, but it would be considerable. I'm not sure they would use nuclear weapons, but almost anything is possible.

Certainly the U.S. is going to be involved since we already have put special forces into Iran. My guess is that the negotiations not leading to some deal to disarmed of the nuclear program in Iran is high.

It looks likely that some sort of military action is going to happen, and that is going to hurt everyone in the world.

If there is an airstrike, what Iran will do is unknown.

WWIII. I wonder what the weather in Tehran is like this time of year...

Iran may be blowing a lot of smoke. This seems to be indicative (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,379741,00.html) of a slight problem. The mouse that roared?

I have a hard time figuring out what Iran would look like after a war.

It will hurt us finalcially, big time. We all know OPEC needs no excuse to raise prices, so what do you think wil happen if we attack one of them? Even so, it does not have to be this way. The damn green movement has forced this upon us. We should have our own oil fields and refineries and delivery systems operating at peak output right now. Are we? no. Can we? yes. Why dont we? Asshole enviros. I say tell those jackasses where to stick their good intentions and give the bird to OPEC and the 2 bit gangsters that have got us by the short hairs. We HAVE to become self sufficient, now. I dont give a shit if it takes 10 years. Most of us will still be here in 10 years, and 10 years from now I dont want to see some towel headed sheik in sunglasses counting my money while our president kisses his ring. I want to see that guy cooking his pork and beans over a camel dung fire.
sorry for the rant, but it is just totally ridiculous that we are in this position at all.

We all know OPEC needs no excuse to raise prices, so what do you think will happen if we attack one of them? Even so, it does not have to be this way. The damn green movement has forced this upon us.

Riiiight. The "damn green movement has forced this upon us".

And the reason we have so many sick people is because of all the hospitals.

:rolleyes:

Asshole enviros........We HAVE to become self sufficient, now. I dont give a shit if it takes 10 years.

If I could intrude upon your insanity for one moment, I'd like to point out that it is the very same "asshole enviros" you're complaining about who have been begging this country to become more energy independent. And they've been urging it for far longer than 10 years.

10 years from now I dont want to see some towel headed sheik in sunglasses counting my money while our president kisses his ring.

Keep sticking up for your wonderful friends the U.S. oil barons. Keep carrying the banner for the status quo and making endless excuses for their oil wars.......and seeing some sheik in sunglasses counting your money is exactly what you WILL be doing 10 years from now.

You have it about as backwards as is humanly possible.

If I could intrude upon your insanity for one moment
Bwahaha.

Riiiight. The "damn green movement has forced this upon us".

And the reason we have so many sick people is because of all the hospitals.

:rolleyes:



If I could intrude upon your insanity for one moment, I'd like to point out that it is the very same "asshole enviros" you're complaining about who have been begging this country to become more energy independent. And they've been urging it for far longer than 10 years.



Keep sticking up for your wonderful friends the U.S. oil barons. Keep carrying the banner for the status quo and making endless excuses for their oil wars.......and seeing some sheik in sunglasses counting your money is exactly what you WILL be doing 10 years from now.

You have it about as backwards as is humanly possible.

You are right, it all the environmentalist who have been calling for drilling our own oil and the oil companies who have been refusing.

And don't give me this crap about alternative fuels. Simply demanding something from the student union wont get it done. The fact is alternative fuels are very inefficient now. We have internal combustion technology down and it is efficient. That is what our country runs on.

I would like to have an efficient, plentiful alternative to fossil fuels as much as anyone, and I would love to see some bright young entrepreneurs develop something and make a zillion dollars off of it. Until then we are a fossil fuel based society, and the fact is we are not even close to our potential for self sufficiency in that area. Why is that? because the oil companies don't want to make money? no. because the greens want to have a say in everything that happens without regard to anything except what is on their personal agenda.

And don't give me this crap about alternative fuels. Simply demanding something from the student union wont get it done. The fact is alternative fuels are very inefficient now.
Since you're spending a pretty penny every week on gasoline, I understand your frustration. But do you think that replacing fossil fuels with solar, wind, geothermal, hydrogen, ethanol, and electric will be a smooth task for the nation of 300 million that uses more FF per capita than any other? The spike in oil prices is prompting wiser behavior for Americans in terms of their energy usage, and the oil prices are not from some sort of dire shortage of the resource or places to drill it. We've awhile before that, but don't you think it would be a better decision to prepare before a problem worsens?

If you're really that worried, you could send Barbara Boxer threatening letters about enforcing a price ceiling until she decides to respond and have you arrested. I'll bring you a cake with a laptop inside.

Iran may be blowing a lot of smoke. This seems to be indicative (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,379741,00.html) of a slight problem. The mouse that roared?

http://www.boingboing.net/images/x_2008/iranzilla2.jpg

And don't give me this crap about alternative fuels. Simply demanding something from the student union wont get it done. The fact is alternative fuels are very inefficient now. We have internal combustion technology down and it is efficient. That is what our country runs on.

Do you happen to recall, a couple of posts ago, writing --""We HAVE to become self sufficient, now.""

?!?!?!?

I took it that you meant we had to find other, alternative forms of energy, since you were advocating we become self sufficient.

Unless of course you are so completely clueless as to think that this country possesses enough oil to supply all of it's own energy needs now and into the future.

I would like to have an efficient, plentiful alternative to fossil fuels as much as anyone, and I would love to see some bright young entrepreneurs develop something and make a zillion dollars off of it. Until then we are a fossil fuel based society, and the fact is we are not even close to our potential for self sufficiency in that area. Why is that?

??!?!?!?! Wha........???

Although you seem blithely unaware of it sir, we do not have enough oil of our own to become *self sufficient*.

Canada has all the oil needed and Alberta is spending 2 billion dollars towards capturing the CO2 emissions.

Although you seem blithely unaware of it sir, we do not have enough oil of our own to become *self sufficient*.

We sure do have enough to cut the middle east out of the equation though.

We sure do have enough to cut the middle east out of the equation though.For how long?

And anyway, we'll have to pay the world market price for oil regardless of where it comes from.

For how long?

And anyway, we'll have to pay the world market price for oil regardless of where it comes from.


At least until we can develop our own alternate sources better.

Perhaps, but I think the fact that the biggest consumer of oil no longer goes to the biggest producer of oil (OPEC) will make the price drop.

For how long?

And anyway, we'll have to pay the world market price for oil regardless of where it comes from.
where would you rather have the money go? the next artificial island in the Persian Gulf, or a union pension fund? we can't keep exporting $700 billion a year, the printing presses can't handle the stress.

Perhaps, but I think the fact that the biggest consumer of oil no longer goes to the biggest producer of oil (OPEC) will make the price drop.Only about 20% of our oil imports come from the Middle East -- we're not that huge of a customer for them. By the time our domestic production ramps up, India and China will have taken up all the slack in demand and then some. Total demand is what drives the world market price, and total demand will increase no matter what we do. However, you are right that we can reduce the price by drilling more. A Department of Energy study found that if we drill in ANWAR, for example:

With respect to the world oil price impact, projected ANWR oil production constitutes between 0.4 and 1.2 percent of total world oil consumption in 2030, based on the low and high resource cases, respectively. Consequently, ANWR oil production is not projected to have a large impact on world oil prices. Relative to the AEO2008 reference case, ANWR oil production is projected to have its largest oil price reduction impacts as follows: a reduction in low-sulfur, light (LSL) crude oil18 prices of $0.41 per barrel (2006 dollars) in 2026 in the low oil resource case, $0.75 per barrel in 2025 in the mean oil resource case, and $1.44 per barrel in 2027 in the high oil resource case.

http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/servicerpt/anwr/results.html

So the best case scenario knocks a buck and a half off the price of a barrel -- we're talking a few pennies per gallon here.

What's more, the study continues:

Assuming that world oil markets continue to work as they do today, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) could neutralize any potential price impact of ANWR oil production by reducing its oil exports by an equal amount.

So we can't even count on getting those few pennies per gallon if OPEC decides to reduce production by a corresponding amount.

Now, this is not to say we shouldn't increase domestic production. The oil companies have millions of acres currently under lease (both on and offshore) that remain undeveloped. But rather than drill where they already have a right to, the oil companies want us to open up ANWAR and give them more offshore leases. There are at least two reasons why: if it costs less to extract oil in these new areas their profit per barrel will be higher, and it saves the land currently under lease for later development when oil prices are even higher than they are today.

While I'm skeptical of Big Oil's motives I'm even more skeptical of the notion that we can somehow drill enough to significantly reduce the world market price.

However, you are right that we can reduce the price by drilling more. A Department of Energy study found that if we drill in ANWAR, for example:

..... ANWR oil production is projected to have its largest oil price reduction impacts as follows: a reduction in low-sulfur, light (LSL) crude oil18 prices of $0.41 per barrel (2006 dollars) in 2026 in the low oil resource case, $0.75 per barrel in 2025 in the mean oil resource case, and $1.44 per barrel in 2027 in the high oil resource case.


So the best case scenario knocks a buck and a half off the price of a barrel -- we're talking a few pennies per gallon here.

Exactly.

The Department of Energy study found that after a few years when the drilling was completed at ANWR and after full production from there was reached and made it into the pipeline, it would result in maybe (best case scenario) a 4 cents per gallon price drop.

Whoop dee doo.

And STILL you hear dimwitted rightwingers clamoring -- "Let's drill ANWR and tell them Aye-rabs to go to hell!"

At least drilling ANWAR is a step towards a solution. Maybe it takes only pennies or a dollar off, but that would be progress, no doubt. Allowing drilling off the coasts of Florida and California would be nice too, but various D's and R's alike oppose the plan, because they don't want any drilling in their backyards.

Goodness.

I suppose you're a proponent of the big Democrat plan to tax American oil companies more if they don't solve our energy crisis for our politicians? Or the other big Democrat plan to sue OPEC? Sorry, but I don't think we can think of more retarded ideas if we tried.

ANWR Arctic National Wildlife Refuge


Is that what you mean?

The solution to high oil prices here in the U.S. is related to the devaluation on the dollar and the stupidly high deficit that we currently "enjoy".

If the politicos really wanted to help the gas prices (via oil barrel cost reduction), then I would suggest that they take a long hard look.......







.... in the mirror.

ANWR Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

Is that what you mean?

I don't blame you. I would probably be hunting for typing errors too if I was a liberal and my grande finale solution was Windfall Taxes.

The solution to high oil prices here in the U.S. is related to the devaluation on the dollar and the stupidly high deficit that we currently "enjoy".

If the politicos really wanted to help the gas prices (via oil barrel cost reduction), then I would suggest that they take a long hard look.......







.... in the mirror.
the devaluation of the dollar isn't all bad. sure it makes all imports more expensive, but it also makes our exports more affordable:thumbs:

alas, it's not all of it. some "experts" say increased regulation of the oil commodities market could reduce oil and gas prices by half (http://www.columbusdispatch.com/live/content/business/stories/2008/07/13/oil_speculation_0713.ART_ART_07-13-08_D1_62AO2AK.html?sid=101).

Do you happen to recall, a couple of posts ago, writing --""We HAVE to become self sufficient, now.""

?!?!?!?

I took it that you meant we had to find other, alternative forms of energy, since you were advocating we become self sufficient.

Unless of course you are so completely clueless as to think that this country possesses enough oil to supply all of it's own energy needs now and into the future.



??!?!?!?! Wha........???

Although you seem blithely unaware of it sir, we do not have enough oil of our own to become *self sufficient*.


We do not have to be self sufficient from now until the end of time, just until we come up with another form of energy. Why does it have to be all or nothing in the energy arguement? We can't drill our own oil and look for new sources at the same time? People like you are just as closed mindeda s those who only want to drill more oil.

Exactly.

The Department of Energy study found that after a few years when the drilling was completed at ANWR and after full production from there was reached and made it into the pipeline, it would result in maybe (best case scenario) a 4 cents per gallon price drop.

Whoop dee doo.

And STILL you hear dimwitted rightwingers clamoring -- "Let's drill ANWR and tell them Aye-rabs to go to hell!"\

It is not about the price asshole it is about independence from the camel jockeys.